The invention generally relates to computers and computer systems and, in particular, to methods, systems, and computer program products for managing issuance and use of an Electronic Miscellaneous Document (EMD) for an itinerary including multiple Passenger Name Records (PNRs).
An EMD is an electronic document which may be issued in response to a traveler purchasing an ancillary service. The EMD provides proof that the traveler is entitled to receive the ancillary service so that the traveler may obtain the service without the need for a paper coupon. EMDs thus facilitate selling add-on products and services to travelers using electronic tickets. Exemplary services for which EMDs may be issued include allowances to carry additional luggage, entitlements to enter special zones such as business lounges, receipt of a meal or a drink during a travel segment (e.g., a flight), choose a specific seat (e.g., a window seat, an aisle seat, a seat with extra leg room, etc.), receive transportation services between an airport and a hotel, or receive premium in-flight services. Because the EMD provides the traveler with the right to receive the service, EMDs are typically not issued until the traveler has paid for the service. EMDs thereby supplement electronic tickets by defining additional services or upgrades that the traveler has purchased.
Electronic ticketing systems typically use one or more PNRs to track electronic tickets. The PNR may provide details of a traveler's reservation and other data related to the traveler's trip. PNRs may also contain data to assist airline personnel with passenger handling. This data may be broadly categorized as traveler data and segment data. Traveler data includes data relating to the passenger, such as the name or contact data for the traveler. Segment data includes data relating to a service being provided to satisfy the itinerary, such as a flight number or other identifying data for one or more services reserved or purchase by the traveler. Specific data typically found in the PNR may include the name of the traveler, a passenger type code, data identifying one or more reserved travel segments, contact data for the traveler, when and where tickets are to be issued, and the ticketing office or agent that made or updated the reservation. When an EMD is issued for an ancillary service, the PNR including the corresponding travel segment may be updated with data associating the PNR with the EMD. The travel service provider may thereby associate the segments in the PNR with the EMD for the corresponding ancillary service purchased by the traveler.
In some cases, the itinerary may be spread across more than one PNR. This may occur, for example, when different segments of a trip are booked through different travel agents, or are booked with different carriers. In this case, the PNR elements associated with the traveler data may be duplicated in multiple operating PNRs (e.g., one PNR per airline). Because each carrier's departure control system handles the system's corresponding operating PNRs, a separate EMD must typically be issued for each PNR in order to provide an ancillary service across the itinerary. The resulting plurality of EMDs can be confusing for the traveler, the travel agent, and the service provider, and adds to the computational overhead of the electronic ticketing system.
Thus, improved systems, methods, and computer program products are needed for generating, issuing, and managing EMDs in the travel industry.